As officials at Kentucky State University plan the next steps for the future of the institution, the focus is turning to fundraising. Get the full story from news station WHAS11 below.
Credit: Wiki Commons
KSU announced in August that it owes about $13 million, which includes $3 million in vendor invoices and about $5 million to clear construction invoices.
Kentucky’s only public historically Black university will need emergency funding to stay open through the end of the year, Kentucky State University’s vice president for finance told lawmakers Friday at a budget hearing.
“We are confident we’re going to be able to make it to January. We believe we can make it through April,” Gregory Rush said.
Kentucky State University announced in August that it owes about $13 million, which includes $3 million in vendor invoices and about $5 million to clear construction invoices.
The report came after several KSU officials resigned, including a board member and chief financial officer. The university’s former president, M. Christopher Brown, left the job in July amid concerns about the school’s finances and lawsuits alleging misconduct by campus officials.
However, in April, KSU reported it received positive results from its annual independent financial audit, with a budget surplus of $2.3 million for fiscal year 2020.
After the turmoil, Gov. Andy Beshear quickly ordered a review into university finances by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education.
The council’s president, Aaron Thompson, said the council is compiling an improvement plan and appropriation recommendations for the next biennial budget. Both are required by the governor’s executive order for the university to be considered for additional funding.
Persistent student debt owed to the university is also contributing to the school’s financial woes, Rush said.
“I’ll be perfectly honest, I think part of the issue over the past three years, or four years is that we have not had a full student body that has satisfied their balances,” he said. “Part of the reason our enrollment declined just a bit this year is we began enforcing that this fall.”
KSU has announced that it will dedicate some federal coronavirus relief funds to clear tuition and fee balances owed to the institution from March 13, 2020, to July 30, 2021.
“What we’re doing in great detail now, is making sure that the campus is organizationally stable, that finances get back to square one,” Thompson said.
State Senate budget chairman Chris McDaniel expressed concern over whether to continue the school, given the university’s lower enrollment and graduation rates. In 2017, McDaniel said, KSU conferred 401 degrees for an average cost to the state of $66,000 per degree. In 2019, the school produced 205 degrees, breaking down to $123,000 per degree, he added.
“So the financial case to be made is that there should not be a Kentucky State,” he said. “That we should give these kids full tuition, send them to University of Kentucky, send them to University of Louisville, but there are larger cultural implications at play as well.”
Kentucky’s General Assembly will consider the state budget in the upcoming regular legislative session, which begins in January.
Transparency is a big deal to Savannah State University sophomore Jordan Sampson. Part of her passion has been teaching others the transparency of social media user agreements and more. Learn about the well-deserved prize that her hard work has earned her in the full story from Jimmy Sailors at the Dothan Eagle below.
The Girl Scout Gold Award is the pinnacle of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, and it’s available exclusively to Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors (9-12 grade). Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama (GSSA) would like to recognize Daphne High School graduate Jordan Sampson for receiving the Gold Award and the Girl Scouts of the USA Gold Award Scholarship.
Through the Gold Award, girls engage in a rigorous leadership process, as they tackle issues they’re passionate about to create long-term, sustainable change. To earn the Gold Award, girls typically spend one to two years exploring the root cause of a local or global issue and partner with the community to create lasting solutions.
The Girl Scouts of the USA Gold Award Scholarship recognizes one outstanding Gold Award Girl Scout per council whose project exemplifies the core components of the Gold Award. Jordan’s outstanding Gold Award project demonstrated measurable and sustainable impact and addressed an issue of national and global significance, proving that Girl Scouts of courage, confidence, and character truly do make the world a better place. As a scholarship recipient, Jordan will receive special recognition during our 2021 Girl Scouts Change the World celebration on October 9, 2021, a promotion that will help her reach a broad audience while highlighting the impact of her Gold Award, and a total of $2,000 in academic scholarships.
For Jordan’s project, she educated high school students on the legal documents they agree to when clicking “I Agree” when signing up for a social media platform. Most teens fail to read the legal documents they are agreeing to, so she created a 6-minute educational video regarding those documents and their contents. She also included a pre and post-quiz within the video. Jordan’s video is now a part of the Baldwin County Public School System’s Internet Safety curriculum and has been widely spread across the county to inform high school students of the danger of not knowing social media laws.
Jordan is a social media curator and designer and noticed that many people did not quite understand or even know what they were agreeing to when signing up for social media accounts. Since Jordan started her social media career at a young age, she wanted to be able to educate people of all ages on the legal aspects of social media. Jordan is now a sophomore at Savannah State University where she is majoring in Global Logistics and International Business while also obtaining a minor in Spanish.
Through Girl Scouting, girls learn to face challenges head-on, embrace failure as a learning opportunity, and find solutions to social issues all while building the skills and courage they need to take the lead every day. Earning the Gold Award is just one of the amazing things girls can do as part of Girl Scouts. To join Girl Scouts or learn more about volunteering, visit www.girlscoutssa.org.
Alabama A&M University has announced that it will select its new university president by next week. President Andrew Hugine is retiring after a remarkable tenure in which he turned around the historically Black college.
The A&M Board of Trustees is meeting Friday at 8 a.m. to begin the formal interviews of its three finalists for the job.
The three finalists are Daniel Wims, Roderick Smothers and Colette Pierce Burnette. The university has narrowed the finalists down to just three out of 53 applicants.
Roderick L. Smothers Sr.
Roderick L. Smothers Sr. Ph.D. was named the 14th president of Philander Smith College on Oct. 1, 2014, and began his tenure in January 2015.
Previously, Smothers served as vice president for institutional advancement at two historically black universities: Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas, and Langston University in Langston, Oklahoma.
Philander Smith College is a small, privately supported, historically Black, four-year liberal arts college in Arkansas related to the Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church. The college offers four degrees: the Bachelor of Arts, the Bachelor of Science, the Bachelor of Business Administration, and the Bachelor of Social Work.
Colette Pierce Burnette
Colette Pierce Burnette Ed.D. is the president and CEO of Huston-Tillotson University.
Burnette is a native of Cleveland, Ohio. She joined Huston-Tillotson University as president on July 1, 2015. She previously was the interim president at Pierce College in Puyallup, Washington, the vice president for administration and chief financial officer, executive assistant to the president, vice president for Information Technology and Services and chief information officer at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio; dean of information technology at Pierce College in Lakewood, Washington; and manager of consulting and project management services at the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Huston-Tillotson University is a private historically Black university in Austin, Texas.
Daniel Wims
Hugine hired Daniel Wims Ph.D. as provost when Hugine was hired in 2009. Wims has served 12 years as provost at the historically Black university. Wims has been tasked with helping to lead the university to complete its first-ever capital campaign, raising over $27 million dollars, to reorganizing and restructuring the school’s academic programs after the school was in crisis.
Wims has over 20 years of administrative experience in various governmental and higher education organizations.
Wims is currently the provost and vice president for academic affairs and for research, and professor of agricultural sciences at Alabama A&M University.
He formerly served as the executive vice president and vice president for academic affairs, and professor of Agricultural Sciences at the Fort Valley State University.
Other positions held include assistant vice president for student affairs and associate professor at South Carolina State University, director of the division of agricultural sciences and associate professor of agricultural sciences at Florida A&M University, director of institutional research and assessment and assistant professor of agricultural sciences at Alcorn State University, director of the Small Farm Research and Resource Development Center and assistant professor of agricultural sciences at Southern University.
When Hugine was hired to run the school in 2009, the university was facing several critical issues that jeopardized its very survival. The school faced daunting obstacles from probationary status by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to its inability to manage its own finances effectively. Degree programs were outdated, fundraising and development was behind, and instability existed in key leadership positions. Hugine is being widely applauded for turning around the HBCU.
The recent disappearance and later discovery of murder victim Gabby Petito has captured the nation, and the coverage on her case is causing pain for many families for reasons you might not expect. Historically, missing people of color receive a fraction of the media attention and frenzy that Petito, a white blonde has received. Recently Dr. Ashraf Esmail, director of the Center for Racial Justice at Dillard University, sat down to discuss why this is, and the effects it can have on cases like that of Southern University slain student Marquise Jones. Get the full story from Louisiana news station 4WWL below.
The unfortunate case of a missing New York woman has garnered national attention.
But, racial justice and missing persons experts have criticized the media for the amount of attention and resources used to find 22-year-old, Gabby Petito.
At the heart of the issue, the hundreds of missing people of color, who often don’t get the same treatment.
“It’s a slap in your face because my child was a good child and I just needed help,” said Erica Jones, mother of Marquise Jones.
Unfortunately, Jones is amongst the hundreds of Black, Brown, and Indigenous men and women who have gone missing. He was missing for two weeks earlier this year.
“I have cried every day since February 26th,” Erica said.
She says the 21-year-old Southern University student went to a party in New Orleans East on February 26. He was supposed to come home the next day for a funeral. He never made it.
The family of 21-year-old Southern student Marquise Jones, is sharing pictures of him after his body was found in Lake Pontchartrain after he was reported missing weeks ago.
“He was here and then he wasn’t and nobody knew nothing,” Erica said.
A week later, his car was found at an abandoned apartment complex in the East. The following Thursday his body was found in Lake Pontchartrain. He had been shot in the head.
The night he disappeared Jones was seen on multiple surveillance cameras. But, the New Orleans Police Department could not tell Erica what led to her son’s disappearance and later to his death.
So, she called the FBI. But, was still unable to get any help.
“I’m a mom and I just needed help. Why couldn’t I pick up the phone and say ‘hey NOPD need help they know which was to go to the FBI,” she said.
WWL and a few other local outlets in the New Orleans area told his story as details came out.
But unlike Jones, it was the disappearance of Petito, that had caught national attention and the helpful hand of the FBI.
Credit: New Orleans Police Department
“We’re making these kinds of decisions that we’re very aware of where we’re putting our resources and how it looks,” said Dr. Ashraf Esmail, Director of the Center for Racial Justice at Dillard University.
The role the media and law enforcement play in the disappearance of white vs people of color is not new.
“I can’t even watch it. It’s hard to watch it. I can’t. It’s hard to watch. Because you know the answer of why. You know why. But, I just want them to say it,” Erica said.
Esmail said the so-called “Missing White Woman Syndrome” has plagued airwaves since before Jon Benet Ramsey went missing from her Colorado home or Natalie Holloway went missing in Aruba, names etched into our minds by the relentless media coverage over the years.
“Not only are they, white women, more likely to get initial coverage. They’re also more likely to get the repeated coverage that’s been very implicit with this case in New York, obviously,” he said.
Surely, the constant stream of social media photos and video, along with a clean lifestyle often sells a story.
“He was a good boy,” Erica said tears filling her eyes.
A good boy.
So his mother wants to know why wasn’t that enough for national attention and extra law enforcement resources for her son.
“I think part of it, and this goes back to history, the stereotype that white women are good people whereas women of color take a lot of risks and they’re complacent in their disappearances,” said Dr. Esmail.
Today, Erica continues to wait for answers about what happened the night of February 26th and the week between her son’s body being found, on March 11.
As phone calls with local law enforcement about her son’s case dwindle.
“Even if I’m thinking about something else my mind switches back to him, about if he was scared. Did he know it was coming? Did he feel, he was in danger?” she said.
The National Crime Information Center reports 36 percent of the people reported missing in 2020 were Black.
But, a 2016 study of news outlets found Black people were significantly underrepresented in coverage of missing persons compared with their numbers in the FBI’s tally of cases.
Ronnie Coleman, a former Grambling State University football player and bodybuilder who has won Mr. Olympia eight times was just honored. Get the full story on why he just received an award from Arnold Schwarzenegger below from Roger Lockridge at Bar Bend below.
Credit: Arnold Schwarzenegger/Instagram
Coleman was recognized for his dominance in bodybuilding and incredible legacy.
Four athletes in four divisions earned top honors at the 2021 Arnold Classic, but another special award was given on the evening of Sept. 25, 2021. Eight-time Mr. Olympia winner Ronnie Coleman was awarded the Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award. Past honorees include Sylvester Stallone, Lou Ferrigno, Triple H, and Dr. Robert Goldman. Many consider Coleman the greatest bodybuilder of all time, tied with Lee Haney for most Olympia wins.
After a video played, Arnold Schwarzenegger introduced Coleman to the crowd. Between the two of them, they hold 15 Mr. Olympia titles. After a standing ovation, Coleman spoke about his commitment to bodybuilding and the support he had from his family.
“I had seen Arnold give this award to other people over the years, and I thought to myself, ‘I’m going to get that someday,’ and here I am,” Coleman said in his acceptance speech.
After mentioning his late mother, Coleman appeared overcome with emotion. The crowd erupted into a standing ovation, with “Ronnie, Ronnie” chants filling the Batelle Grand ballroom. A few brief moments passed, and “The King” was able to collect himself.
“This is one of the greatest honors of my life,” Coleman says. “Mama, I got the Lifetime Achievement Award.” Coleman then promptly left the stage. Later, he shared an image of himself with Schwarzenegger and the award in an Instagram post.
“Yeah, buddy, finally the Lifetime Achievement Award. You guys see Arnold giving it to me. Yes, it’s one of the greatest achievements in my life,” Coleman wrote in his Instagram post. “The greatest show on earth from the greatest bodybuilder on earth.”
Schwarzenegger shared his thoughts on social media: “I love Ronnie Coleman, and I was so proud to give him this year’s lifetime achievement award. A great champion, a wonderful evangelist for bodybuilding, and a fantastic human.”
About Coleman
Coleman was a college football player for Grambling State University in Louisiana. After graduating with a degree in accounting, Coleman went on to work as a police officer while training in powerlifting. After being convinced to train bodybuilding, Coleman won the Amateur World Championship in 1991. He would earn his first pro victory in 1995 by the IFBB Canada Cup.
At the time, Coleman was recognized as a formidable bodybuilder. However, no one thought he’d capture an Olympia title, let alone eight titles. In 1998, Coleman, who placed ninth in the Olympia the year prior, stepped on stage sporting a combination of mass and conditioning that challenged people’s perception of what was possible. He managed to upset Flex Wheeler, who many thought would be one of the most dominant champions ever. (Wheeler is still considered one of the greatest bodybuilders to never win an Olympia.)
That win sparked a run of eight straight years as Mr. Olympia, with Coleman’s reign lasting from 1998 to 2005. Coleman’s package (bodybuilding speak for how he looked on stage) in 2003 is thought to be his best look ever — he took the stage that year weighing 287 pounds.
Ultimately, Coleman has won 26 pro titles throughout his career, including the 2001 Arnold Classic title. Jay Cutler managed to take the Olympia title from Coleman in 2006, and he retired the following year.
In 2016, Coleman was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame. Two years later, the documentary Ronnie Coleman, The King was released on Netflix. He currently runs a supplement line, the “Ronnie Coleman Signature Series”.
Since retiring from the sport in 2007, Coleman has undergone numerous surgeries on his back, hips, and neck. He’s spoken out about his injuries in the Netflix documentary and on episode 1,489 of the Joe Rogan Experience.
Years after his bodybuilding career ended, fans remember Coleman for his incredible feats of strength in the gym, including an 800-pound squat for two reps and an 800-pound deadlift for two reps. Those lifts are punctuated by his now-famous catchphrases, “Yeah, buddy,” “Ain’t nothing but a peanut,” and “light weight, baby!”
West Virginia State University has found its new interim president in Ericke S. Cage! Learn about the new leader and his plan for higher education at the university in the WVSU release below.
The West Virginia State University (WVSU) Board of Governors voted today to name Ericke S. Cage as the interim president of the university.
Cage’s appointment must still be approved by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC). He will serve as interim president until a new permanent president for the university is selected.
Cage joined the university in July as vice president and chief of staff and has been serving as the university’s chief operating officer managing the day to day operations of the university since July 30.
“I am both honored and humbled by the trust the West Virginia State University Board of Governors has placed in me to serve as interim president of this great institution,” said Cage. “Since my arrival here I have strived to do what is right for the students, faculty and staff of the university and that will continue in my new role. We have tremendous momentum at West Virginia State and I look forward to all we will accomplish working together in the months ahead.”
Prior to joining WVSU, Cage most recently served as the senior advisor to the president and university ombudsman at Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia – where he served as principal advisor to the president on matters related to university policy making, governance, and government relations.
While at Norfolk State, Cage led the university’s 2019-2025 strategic plan committee and served as principal staff lead for the university’s 2019-2020 self-assessment. He also supported the advancement of good board governance by redesigning new board member training, overseeing the development and execution of the annual board retreats, and developing a board member skills matrix for the university’s Board of Visitors. Cage was also instrumental in expanding Norfolk State’s presence and impact on Capitol Hill and before the Virginia General Assembly.
Prior to joining Norfolk State, Cage served as director of government affairs for Teach for America, and also served as legislative counsel for U.S. Congressman Tom Perriello, in addition to serving as a law clerk for the U.S. Department of Defense, and a legislative fellow for the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs. He also served as a congressional fellow in the office of U.S. Congressman Keith Ellison. Cage began his career as a high school government teacher in his hometown of Halifax County, Virginia.
Cage has a bachelor’s degree in political science and leadership from Virginia Tech, a juris doctorate from the Rutgers University School of Law, and a masters of law degree from the George Washington University School of Law. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College and the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership.
When the Class of 2020 gathers for its in-person commencement ceremony in September, the festivities will include the traditional conferring of honorary degrees. Each year, Duke awards honorary degrees to individuals who exemplify Duke’s highest values so that their accomplishments may inspire the new graduates.
This year’s honorees include Mary Schmidt Campbell, a distinguished leader in higher education; Ken Jeong, a physician turned actor and comedian, and Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, two scientists whose discoveries laid the foundation for the mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.
“I am thrilled that we will have such an extraordinary group of honorary degree recipients to celebrate this historic commencement alongside the Class of 2020,” said President Vincent E. Price. “Drew, Ken, Katalin, and Mary have made transformational contributions to their fields, and I know that they will be an inspiration to our graduates at commencement and beyond.”
Meet Duke’s honorary degree recipients below.
Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D.
DOCTOR OF HUMANE LETTERS
Art historian Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell was named the 10th president of Spelman College in 2015. Dr. Campbell’s strategic vision for Spelman has built on the college’s legacy to educate Black women for the 21st century. Under her leadership, Spelman has expanded its strategic partnerships, deepened its excellence in STEM, expanded its signature academic programs, and completed the largest comprehensive campaign in its history.
Prior to arriving in Atlanta, Dr. Campbell was a major force in the cultural life of New York City, serving as the city’s cultural affairs commissioner, executive director of the Studio Museum in Harlem for 10 years, and dean of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts for more than 20 years. A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, she serves as a trustee of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the J. Paul Getty Trust, and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed her vice- chair of the president’s committee on the arts and humanities. In that role she spearheaded a national program, “TurnAround Arts,” that made use of the arts to turn around failing elementary and middle schools.
Dr. Campbell has a B.A. in English literature from Swarthmore College and a master’s in art history and a Ph.D. in humanities from Syracuse University. She is the author of the award-winning book “An American Odyssey: The Life and Work of Romare Bearden.”
Katalin Karikó
Katalin Karikó, Ph.D.
DOCTOR OF SCIENCE
Katalin Karikó is senior vice president at BioNTech and an adjunct professor at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Drew Weissman is the Roberts Family Professor of Vaccine Research at the Perelman School of Medicine. In collaboration, Drs. Karikó and Weissman discovered the ability of modified-nucleosides in RNA to suppress activation of innate immune sensors and increase the translation of mRNA containing certain modified nucleosides. Their collaborative work led to the first two approved COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.
Dr. Karikó received her Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Szeged in Hungary in 1982. She is a co-inventor on 13 mRNA-related patents. For her scientific contributions and achievements, she has received the Rosenstiel Award, Széchenyi Prize, Semmelweis Award, Wilhelm Exner Medal, Reichstein Medal, Princess of Asturias Award, Horwitz Prize and the Vilcek Prize.
Dr. Drew Weissman received his M.D. and Ph.D. from Boston University School of Medicine. His lab continues to develop other vaccines that induce potent antibody and T cell responses with mRNA–based vaccines. His lab also develops methods to replace genetically deficient proteins, edit the genome, and specifically target cells and organs with mRNA-LNPs, including lung, heart, brain, CD4+ cells, all T cells, and bone marrow stem cells. Weissman is the recipient of the Rosenstiel Award, the Princess of Asturias Award, and the Albany Prize among others.
Ken Jeong
Ken Jeong
DOCTOR OF HUMANE LETTERS
Also receiving an honorary degree will be actor and comedian Ken Jeong, who will deliver the commencement address. Jeong received a bachelor’s degree from Duke in 1990, went to medical school at the University of North Carolina, and worked as a physician of internal medicine for years. He also began acting at Duke, and he went on to perform in theater and improv while in medical school and continued with standup comedy in Los Angeles, where he was a practicing physician. A small role on “The Office” launched his acting career. Since then, Jeong has gone on to create memorable characters in close to 50 films and TV shows, including the gangster Leslie Chow in “The Hangover” film series, the Spanish teacher Señor Chang on “Community,” Dr. Ken, and the father in “Crazy Rich Asians.” He is currently a judge on the Fox show “The Masked Singer.”
Jeong has been recognized for his support of cancer research and treatment, including Stand Up 2 Cancer. He is inspired by his wife Tran Ho, a physician who is a cancer survivor after being diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer thirteen years ago.
To solve its need for the upmost compliance in its health initiatives, Howard University has chosen Erica Alexander, OTD/L, CHPC, CFE, CPHQ as the new deputy chief compliance officer. Learn more about her and her plans for Howard in the official release below.
Howard University is pleased to announce that Erica Alexander, OTD/L, CHPC, CFE, CPHQ, has been selected as the deputy chief compliance officer. In this role, she will be responsible for leading the compliance oversight for health sciences, which includes the Faculty Practice Plan (FPP), colleges of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and nursing and allied health. In addition, she will serve as a liaison to the hospital and work in collaboration with the current compliance team for Howard University Hospital. Alexander is charged with overhauling the health sciences compliance and ethics program, including training and awareness, policy development and implementation, hotline management and investigations and the HIPAA privacy program. Additionally, she will serve as the official privacy officer for health sciences. She is a certified fraud examiner and earned the nationally recognized certification in health care privacy compliance.
“I am pleased to welcome Dr. Alexander into this critical role as we work together to strengthen the compliance supporting our internal customers, educating new clinicians and the teams delivering care to our community,” said Robert ClarkJr., CCEP, CIA, CBM, Howard University’s chief compliance officer.
Most recently, Alexander served as administrative chief of staff for Inova Health System’s Clinical Enterprise in Northern Virginia. There she led acquisitions and joint venture efforts in addition to guiding complex initiatives for the offices of the chief medical officer, chief administrative officer and chief nurse executive. Prior to that, she served in executive leadership compliance roles spanning the past 15 years, including serving as the chief compliance officer of United Medical Center in Southeast Washington, D.C. and vice president of corporate compliance and quality assurance for a mid-Atlantic post-acute care organization. Alexander brings versatility in senior leadership by serving previously in interim senior roles for risk management, human resources and contracts/procurement.
Alexander has a clinical background as an occupational therapist by trade and enjoys treating neuro specialties from birth through geriatrics. She’s lectured across the country on topics related to occupational therapy, compliance and health care quality best practices. She is currently one of nine certified instructors nationally for the National Association of Healthcare Quality’s (NAHQ) certification prep course. She previously served on the Board for Northern Virginia Community College’s Occupational Therapy Assistant Program. Currently, Alexander spends her spare time as a volunteer for the American Occupational Therapy Foundation Scholarship Committee, Volunteers of America (VOA) Health Services Board Committee and the board of Bite Me Cancer Foundation.
Alexander received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in science from Western Michigan University; she also earned a post-professional clinical doctorate in occupational therapy from Chatham University. In 2018, Alexander was a selected applicant and completed the Department of Justice’s FBI Compliance Academy.
Alexander reports directly to the chief compliance officer of Howard University. Her office is located in the Howard University Hospital Towers Building, which is on the 6th floor in the Health Sciences Administration suite.
It’s official! Virginia Union University recently announced this week that it has just recorded its highest student retention rate of students in its history. This news is especially groundbreaking considering that the pandemic has negatively affected enrollment at plenty of colleges and universities not just around the country, but the world. However, HBCUs it seems, have been having a great year for enrollment despite COVID-19! Get the full story by Erin Kolenich at the Richmond Times-Dispatch below.
Alexa Welch/Edlund Times
Seventy percent of Virginia Union University freshmen returned to campus for the fall 2021 semester, the highest retention rate in the university’s history, VUU announced Thursday.
There are roughly 1,700 students enrolled at VUU, a historically Black and private university in Richmond’s North Side, its highest figure in four years, the university said. Other universities have announced drops in attendance, citing a lingering effect of the pandemic on low-income families.
Virginia Commonwealth University’s enrollment dropped 2% to 29,000, and the number of students at Reynolds Community College has fallen 20% since the start of the pandemic, the Henrico Citizen reported.
Virginia Union received $26 million in emergency relief aid, and it used portions of it to clear student debt for some students and to buy $1,400 worth of Apple products for each incoming freshman.
According to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, VUU’s retention has fluctuated between 42% and 65%. Retention is measured by the number of freshmen who return to a university for their sophomore year.
Virginia Union’s enrollment rose to 1,900 in 2015. The university’s enrollment numbers do not match those of SCHEV, because VUU continues to enroll students after it reports figures to the state council, a university spokesperson said.
Not all VUU classes are taught on a semester schedule. The university offers courses throughout seven academic terms this fall, including two that begin in October.
The university grew in 2020, even as enrollment statewide dropped 1% and freshman enrollment cratered 10%.
Saint Augustine’s University students will be able to earn advanced degrees in computing and engineering within 5 years thanks to a new partnership. Learn all about Grand Valley State University’s new HBCU pipeline with SAU in the release below.
Saint Augustine’s University (SAU) signed an articulation agreement with Grand Valley State University (GVSU) to provide its students opportunities to earn master’s degrees in advanced computing or engineering fields in as little as five years. This is GVSU’s second agreement with a Historically Black College/University.
Representatives from SAU and GVSU met September 20th on the University’s campus to sign the agreement. In April, Grand Valley and Fort Valley State University (FVSU), in Georgia, signed a similar agreement and created a pipeline consortium to recruit other HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges/Universities) and HSIs (Hispanic Serving Institutions).
“This collaboration provides GVSU students exposure to an HBCU experience and SAU students exposure to programs of studies that we do not offer,” said SAU President Dr. Christine Johnson McPhail. “As we reimagine SAU, this partnership is an innovative way to deliver curriculum and expanded career options for students matriculating at both institutions.”
Representatives from both SAU and GVSU believe that this agreement aligns with their university’s strategic plans and meets the needs of their respected communities.
“We are so pleased to welcome students from Saint Augustine’s to Grand Valley soon,” said GVSU President Philomena V. Mantella in a statement. “They are set up for success by having a strong STEM educational foundation. At GVSU, they will find support and resources to continue their education and then begin their careers.”
“The partnership between SAU and GVSU is one that will provide a strong academic and professional opportunity, assure socioeconomic mobility, and increase diversity and inclusion in many spaces,” said SAU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Josiah J. Sampson, III. “The genuine investment of both institutions makes this relationship uniquely wonderful. We are very excited about the many opportunities that this will offer students in this and other areas.”
GVSU leaders also believe that this agreement gives students from SAU opportunities to find meaningful careers in fields like cybersecurity, applied computer science or biomedical engineering and that the University’s current support system, like FVSU, will ensure a seamless transition to Grand Valley for their students.
“Grand Valley is not competing with the rich tradition of HBCUs,” said GVSU Vice President for Enrollment Development and Educational Outreach B. Donta Truss in a statement. “This is a collaboration to give Black and African/American students who come from SAU or a similar institution the resources and support they need to earn competitive jobs in disciplines not offered at their colleges.”
“The FVSU students have naturally reached out to their existing advisors in Georgia, as well as new advisors, for help as they navigate the differences between institutions, academic programs and expectations,” said GVSU Dean of the Padnos College of Engineering and Computing Paul Plotkowski in a statement. “One student is now a resident advisor at a GVSU living center, and I think they have all enjoyed this recent stretch of Michigan’s warmer weather.”
SAU students can enroll at Grand Valley beginning in the Fall 2022 semester. There are six FVSU students currently enrolled at GVSU. SAU students will have access to scholarship and financial support, student support and retention services, Michigan in-state tuition rates, and opportunities to visit GVSU before enrolling.
Talladega College has an accomplished history of football, but many wouldn’t know that today since the program has since dissolved. Yet there are many who haven’t forgotten the potential of football at Talladega, and want to bring it back! Get the full story from Solomon Crenshaw Jr. at Alabama NewsCenter below.
Allen McQueen, librarian at Talladega College, holds a photograph of the school’s undefeated 1934 football team. McQueen, who is a historian and a football fan, wishes more people knew about Talladega College’s football legacy, which included two Black college national championships in 1920 and 1921. A feasibility study is underway on the possibility of bringing football back to the school’s athletics programs after 80 years. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr. / Alabama NewsCenter)
For generations, football Saturdays have been silent on the campus of Talladega College.
No tailgating. No revelry. No pageantry. None of the excitement that permeates so many college campuses in the fall across Alabama where throngs of fans fill stadiums to cheer on their gridiron heroes.
But there was a time when Talladega College fielded one of the best football teams among Black colleges. And perhaps it will again, with a feasibility study under way to gauge whether football should return.
This year is the 100th anniversary of Talladega College winning back-to-back Black college football national championships in 1920 and 1921. Coached by Jubie Bragg, the team dominated the competition those years.
Lisa Long, acting president of Talladega College, expects a feasibility study on the possibility of bringing football back at the school to be completed in January. (contributed)
“The Talladega College Crimson Tornado football team was once an HBCU powerhouse football program,” said Acting President Lisa Long. “It had numerous good seasons and several star players.”
Allen McQueen, a programs and research librarian at Talladega College, echoed that sentiment.
“Talladega College was one of the perennial powerhouses in Black college football, which I think means it’s one of the premier powerhouses in all of football at the time,” he said. “They just weren’t given the opportunity to prove that with the predominantly white schools.
“They had several undefeated seasons, several seasons in which they never gave up a touchdown, in which the opponent never scored on them,” McQueen continued. “They won the first two Black college football national championships, in 1920 and 1921. Throughout the time of their existence as a football team, they were for the most part a powerhouse. Even when they weren’t one of the best teams, they were still having winning seasons. They were always consistently good and were one of the most-known Black college football teams in the country.”
The earliest reference to the team is a mention of it traveling to Tuskegee Institute to play a game in 1906. Talladega College was a founding member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 1913. The team remained in the conference until 1941.
The standout 1920 squad won five games and tied one, ending that campaign with a 28-0 win over previously unbeaten Tuskegee Institute.
A story from The Birmingham News said, “It was the good old American game of football with the ambulance kept near to waft away the victims. The championship for Talladega hung upon this game, and no wonder it had all the thrills of a ‘bull fight.’”
Records from the time acknowledge that as a historically Black college, Talladega was unable to play games against white colleges and competed with other historically Black colleges.
A photograph of the undefeated 1934 edition of the Talladega College Crimson Tornado, one of several outstanding teams the school fielded before its football program ended in 1942. The school’s athletic teams now go by the name Talladega College Tornadoes. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr. / Alabama NewsCenter)
In 1920, the Pittsburgh Courier, an African American weekly newspaper, began selecting national champions from Black college football teams. The Courier selected Talladega and Howard as co-champions for the 1920 season. Another source in January 1921 rated Talladega, Howard and West Virginia Collegiate Institute as the top three “colored” football teams for the 1920 season.
The 1921 team was 6-0-1. The Birmingham News reported that Talladega’s quarterback, “Skeats” Gordon, was “reputed to have been showing dazzling ability all this year.”
Again, the Courier named Talladega co-champions of Black college football. The Tennessee Docs and Southwest Texas were 8-0 and 7-0, respectively, in 1921.
“President (Buell) Gallagher recommended in 1942 that Talladega College discontinue its football and basketball programs for the duration of World War II,” Long said. “Other HBCUs like LeMoyne-Owen and Fisk did the same.”
Since then, fans of college football among students and faculty at Talladega College have had to travel to other campuses to feed their need. In the spring of 2021, the groundwork was laid for a possible return of the sport.
In April, the Talladega College Board of Trustees authorized then Talladega College President Billy C. Hawkins to employ a consultant to determine the feasibility of reviving the football program.
“The year 2021 marks the 100-year anniversary of our historic back-to-back championship win,” said Hawkins, who recently stepped down for health reasons. “Given the success of our academic and athletic programs; the recent growth and transformation of the college; and the myriad benefits of having a football program, now may be the time to revive our team. This could be great for the college, the community and central Alabama. However, our decision will be based upon the findings of a formal feasibility study.”
Long said the study will not be completed until January. “There is no plan for football at this time,” she said.
But the prospect of football’s return has created a buzz on and around the campus.
“I’m sure that students will be excited about a new activity on campus,” the acting president said. “And the community would be involved if that were to happen.”
Long said she is not concerned that football might harm Talladega College.
“I don’t think that when the football team was in existence at Talladega that it changed the academic excellence that Talladega is known for,” she said. “I don’t see that happening. If the feasibility study deems that football is necessary and … we decide to move forward with that, I don’t see it changing what Talladega College has been.”
McQueen frequently travels to metro Birmingham to take in high school action on Friday nights. He and others have found little that commemorates the bygone era of football at Talladega College, except for a photo of the undefeated team of 1934. He’s found nothing about the back-to-back national champions.
“That hits me, as both a historian and as a football fan,” said McQueen, a native of Guam who was raised in Hermitage, Tennessee, outside Nashville. “It troubles me as a historian that any kind of history is not properly recorded and presented. Being that we’re a Black college, I think our history as Black people is important.
“And I think our institutional history is important,” McQueen continued. “On that level, I think we’re missing an opportunity by showing what we have been in the past and what we can be in the future. But as a sports fan, as a football fan, it does particularly bother me that there’s not more knowledge of the football team.”
A group of select Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) students had the unique and rare opportunity to speak with a powerhouse official overseeing trade for the United States as part of the Biden-Harris Administration. Katherine Tai, the very first Asian American US trade representative, paid a visit to the JCSU campus. The government trade lawyer is also the first woman of color period to hold her position. While at the North Carolina university, she prioritized addressing issues like the Biden-Harris Administration’s Build Back Better Agenda and trade policy, as well as racial equity and the state of HBCUs. Her visit is part of a series of stops where she’ll connect with key groups in the North Carolina region.
The honor to have Tai on campus was not only shared with JCSU students, but its administration as well. “We are delighted to host Ambassador Tai on campus today,” shared Johnson C. Smith University President Clarence D. Armbrister J.D. He emphasized just how important discussions on trade are in the United States today. “As the nation’s second largest financial hub and the headquarters of Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies, trade is important to Charlotte because of the impact it has on the economic vitality of the region,” shared Armbrister. He continued, “We are very fortunate to have the nation’s top trade official share her knowledge and insight with our students because many of them are planning for careers in the region’s companies that have international scope. The ambassador’s visit has afforded our students the unique opportunity to meet a skilled negotiator and talented advisor at the top of her field. It speaks volumes that Ambassador Tai understands the value of acknowledging the wealth of talent and bright minds at JCSU – Charlotte’s historically Black university. I know our students will remember this experience of interacting with her, and I hope it opens their minds to the possibilities of careers in economic diplomacy and trade enforcement.
Tai met with about 20 JCSU students, including the JCSU SGA President and campus royalty: Mister and Miss JCSU. “I appreciate this wonderful opportunity to discuss trade with the nation’s top trade official, Ambassador Tai,” said JCSU freshman Justin Nixon. “Her visit to Johnson C. Smith University is important because it shows that people in positions of authority and influence recognize the need to interact with students at historically Black colleges and universities. JCSU and other HBCUs educate students who are as intellectually curious, knowledgeable, talented and ambitious as students at other universities…”
HBCU Buzz was able to sit down with Tai to ask a few questions about how the Biden-Harris Administration will support HBCU students and others in our country.
With Tai’s focus on trade as the lead US representative, we asked how the Worker-Centered Trade Policy can improve the job market for new college graduates. The policy is part of the Build Back Better campaign, and was created stimulate the economy in a way that empowers American workers and boosts wage growth. “What’s really important,” she explained, “is that we also make sure that our trade policies are designed to reinforce our other domestic investment policies. So whether it’s the infrastructure build or the transformative investments in our people that this administration is working on, these policies are going to work together to create more opportunities, more jobs and more prosperity for our students when they come out of school.”
Tai was asked about the importance of students being able to access factual information on the Biden Administration’s initiatives on trade and racial equity. Her response emphasized the value of her visit and of transparency at the highest levels. “America is a great country and I mean that in terms of the size but also in terms of the talent that we have and the potential that we have,” she began. “So my coming to an HBCU and getting the chance to sit down with the students here to talk about trade policy to hear what their questions are and to let them know that on behalf of the US trade representative’s office that I care about what they think about what they know in terms of what we’re doing. We are going to work in every way that we can. We’re going to think outside the box, we’re going to stretch ourselves to make policies that are inclusive and that create opportunities for the students here. We want to make sure that the economy that we put America on track to have is one that is going to be strong and vibrant for all of them to contribute to and to lead in.”
When asked how a presidential administration can ensure racial equity for HBCU students and others around the country, Tai expressed that it’s a top priority for our current president. “There are actually a number of executive orders that the president’s put out requiring each of the agencies and components of the government to really think hard and to work on initiatives in each of our disciplines to promote diversity inside the agency,” she shared.
“It’s just the spirit of this administration to be inclusive and to understand that a strong economy is built on tapping the potential of all Americans.” Thank you for your visit, Ambassador Tai. We cherish this type of thought leadership and grassroot communication.
Very sad news has unfolded today in the HBCU community. The body Alabama A&M University graduate and Illinois State University graduate student Jelani Day has been identified. Get the full story from Illinois news station WAND 17 below.
Credit: Submitted Photo/ Daily Eastern News
The body of Jelani Day has been identified after being found in the Illinois River, authorities said.
A press release from the LaSalle County coroner said a body found on Sept. 4 as authorities searched the Illinois River about a quarter mile east of the Illinois Route 251 bridge was that of Day. That search involved members of the Illinois Search and Rescue Council along with other search agencies in the area.
Day, an Illinois State University graduate student, was reported as missing on Aug. 25, 2021. Family reported they last spoke with him the evening of Monday, Aug. 23. He was seen at the ISU campus on Aug. 24.
Day’s vehicle was found in Peru on Thursday, Aug. 26. Based on findings by Peru police when they recovered the vehicle, a command post was established and an extensive K-9 search was conducted by Illinois State Police. There were drone aerial searches by Peru firefighters and Utica firefighters, as well as ground search by teams from Peru, Utica and Oglesby.
After the Sept. 4 recovery of the body, forensic dental identification and DNA testing and comparison was completed. The cause of death is unknown pending further investigation and toxicology testing.
The investigation into Day’s death includes Bloomington police, Illinois State University police, Peru police, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, the LaSalle County Sheriff’s Office, the LaSalle County Coroner’s Office, the LaSalle County Sate’s Attorney’s Office, LaSalle police, Illinois State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Springfield Division.
Credit: Bloomington Police Department
Anyone with information should contact the LaSalle County Sheriff’s Office by calling (815) 433-2161.
The family of Day released a statement on Facebook through the Find Jelani Day page:
“There are no words to clearly communicate our devastation. We learned this morning from the LaSalle County Coroner the deceased man found in Peru, IL on Saturday, September 4 is Jelani. Our hearts are broken.
“We ask that you continue to pray for our family during what will be very hard days ahead. Throughout these 30 days, our very first concern was finding Jelani, and now we need to find out #WhatHappenedToJelaniDay
“At this moment there are more questions than answers surrounding Jelani’s disappearance and death, and that is where we will focus our energy. As of this moment, we do not know what happened to Jelani and we will not stop until we do.
“This week we learned new evidence has been discovered and police are working new leads related to Jelani’s disappearance. This case is not closed and the investigation is not over.
“We STILL need people who have information to come forward. If you know anything about what happened to Jelani, or had contact with Jelani in the days and weeks before his disappearance, please contact Bloomington Police Detective Paul Jones at (309)434-2548 or email him at pjones@cityblm.org.
“We have also hired JAB Professional Services to assist the police. Information regarding Jelani’s disappearance can be emailed/texted to Beliveaups@yahoo.com 618-223-0044 (C) The family is offering a $25,000+ cash reward: https://gofund.me/8ee08e46
“Thank you to every single person who has thought about, prayed for, talked about and searched for Jelani. The love you’ve shown our family has sustained us and we will definitely need you even more in the days to come. We love each and every one of you for making Jelani’s story personal.
“We will continue to share updates on Jelani’s case as information becomes available.”
Cheyney University students are elated to have increasing opportunities in the science field through the institution’s Aquaculture Research and Education Laboratory. Get the full story from Cheyney below.
Cheyney student Kayla Cross admits she’s shy and very introverted but when she talks about her work in the university’s Aquaculture Research and Education Laboratory (AREL), she doesn’t hold back her excitement when it comes to the expanding science.
“I see it as an essential tool for alleviating poverty across the globe,” she said.
Cross, a native of North Philadelphia, is in her second year at Cheyney. The 19-year-old is a Keystone Honors Program student majoring in biology. She also works part-time in the aquaponics lab under Dr. Steven Hughes. She said neither Cheyney nor biology was part of her original college plan.
“I decided to change my major to qualify for the Keystone Honors Program here at Cheyney. At first, I wanted to attend Neumann University and become a nurse. Now I can’t imagine being anywhere but Cheyney. I’m going to be a bio-technician. Dr. Hughes talks with me often about picking a grad school when the time comes. For right now though, Cheyney is the place to be. Dr. Hughes made it possible for me to be in the aquaponics lab. When I first got here, I was very introverted. I’m still an introvert,” she said, laughing. “Dr. Hughes challenged me during classes, asking me questions on purpose to draw me out. At the end of my freshman year, he offered me a slot in aquaponics. I worked closely with him this past summer.”
For over 40 years, Dr. Hughes has been an active researcher in the science of aquaponics – specifically fish farming. Hughes says one of the reasons most African Americans don’t see a career in aquaculture is because they have never heard of it, but that’s changing. Cheyney’s AREL research facility provides opportunities for faculty and students to participate in projects through the university’s partnerships with academic, public, and private entities. These projects prepare students to compete for professional jobs in a variety of scientific arenas, while providing opportunities to share new and promising research results with consumers, the scientific community, industry representatives, and other students.
Hughes said that Cross has a very promising future in aquaponics.
“Kayla was like so many of our students in that she was not familiar with aquaponics when she first came here to Cheyney,” he said. “She has been working in the lab now for several months and does a great job. She’s learning rapidly about the ins and outs of maintaining both fish and plants and I expect that one day she will be very successful in the aquaponics world.”
Cheyney has created an academic/professional specialization in the culture of growing aquatic animals and plants in controlled environments, and Dr. Hughes has been overseeing the laboratory since 2004, preparing students for emerging career opportunities.
“The aquaculture and aquaponics labs are both coming along quite well,” said Hughes. “We are still working mostly with tilapia and koi as our fish species, but the beginning of a program where we are growing lettuce in our aquaponic system is giving us the opportunity to do so much more. Hopefully, by the end of the fall, we will have added trout to our list of fish species and maybe several other plant species to go with them.”
Cross said Dr. Hughes has given her a room of her own with 18 tanks where she grows lettuce and kale and wants to expand to include other vegetables. She said she believes aquaponic systems will change how nations feed their populations because it produces mass quantities of products faster and more efficiently. Aquaponic systems also serve as a backup plan for producers to maintain edible products just in case anything happens to the farmlands.
“Through this system, you can grow 120 heads of lettuce in a week, as opposed to a longer growing season in the soil. We can grow kale, strawberries and tomatoes,” Cross said. “By working with Dr. Hughes, I’ve learned that the benefits of this indoor urban farming system are amazing. Not only is it efficient but you don’t have to be concerned with groundhogs or insects that feed off vegetables. This is changing how we feed people. I know for a fact that this is a tool for eliminating hunger. I am so grateful that Cheyney has given me this opportunity. I will take my knowledge and skills when I graduate and continue to be in aquaponic systems to better design growing techniques and decrease hunger.”
From what to wear, where to eat, and what to pack, Xfinity has you covered.
Those who have experienced an HBCU homecoming understand the assignment. College students, alumni, and family of an Historically Black College and University gather and partake in the excitement of celebrating the heritage and culture of the school. It’s a time of joy, honoring traditions, and for some, reflecting on the good ol’ days. Homecoming weekends are spent eating well, laughing plenty, and enjoying the sights; and there’s plenty to see and do! (Spoiler alert: Sleep is not on the syllabus.)
Homecoming weekend is a whole situation! Long months of preparation, practice and planning go into this one-week event, and it is epic. There are endless parties to attend – including a parade to celebrate campus orgs. There are pregame tailgates, post-game dances, band battles, awards ceremonies, brunches, lunches…issa vibe.
And if you decide to keep it local or watch at home this year*, there’s still tons of fun to be had. So before you struggle to zip up that purse or waist bag, here are just a few essentials you just might need to keep the watch party going all night long.
*Due to a recent surge in COVID-19 cases, select HBCU homecoming sanctioned events have been rescheduled or are TBD.
Your own travel cup. It’s not the first thing you’d put into your bag, but hear me out– Homecoming is a fall event and weather is no longer predictable; if you’re walking around, plan to get parched after spending all day outdoors. Filling your cup at a hydration station or someone’s tailgating plot, will really make your day! You can even have a custom cup made with your name, fraternity or class! Stay hydrated!
Portable cell phone charger. You’ll be out all day, and with plans constantly changing, you’ll want to remain connected. Choose a powerful charger with a long-lasting effect that can fit in your pocket or purse. And don’t forget to charge the portable charger! No one wants to be stranded on campus missing texts, party locations and TikTok opps.
Tissue, wipes and hand sanitizer. This was a must-have even pre-pandemic. You will want to wipe down, up, left and right anything you come into contact with. Porta Potties and public restrooms tend to run out of the essentials, so be proactive and protect yourself from the germs. Everyone loves the person who brings enough to share, so look out for your comrades and pack a little extra.
Tennis shoes or flats. Bring them, or better yet, just wear them. Be cute but comfortable! Yes, it’s a fashion show no matter where you walk during homecoming weekend, but you also need the stamina to last all day! Save the fancy, potentially uncomfortable shoes for a time you have guaranteed seating. The game and tailgating require a lot of walking, and your fun will be interrupted if you’re uncomfortable. This is a great chance to throw on your HBCU swag and most comfy kicks for a relaxing day!
Sustenance! Know someone who’s reserved a spot with a trailer or at least has food. And if you don’t know anyone, make friends! People at homecoming are looking to enjoy themselves and might be willing to let a stranger who shares their love for the college join in on their fun. If you’re the one who gets hangry, consider packing some of your favorite snacks just in case.
Your crew; everything’s better with a crew. There are those who enjoy being solo at events but let’s be honest, homecoming isn’t that event. Whether it’s friends you met on campus, or family interested in the HBCU experience, you will want a wingman (or two) to share in the excitement. Wear your matching Greek letters, school colors or fun accessories to make your tribe stand out and be seen.
This week, Wilberforce University and Premier Health cut the ribbon on a more contemporary, updated and student-focused health clinic. Students on campus say the clinic and the resources that come with it helps them to feel safer about being on campus during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Students can get a variety of vaccines, diagnostic tests and mental health services at all times of the day thanks to virtual access. All of the resources are free with a student ID.
“This ensures and shows that their number 1 priority is student health so as far as feeling more safe and protected I would say yes,” shared Alexander Murphy, Wilberforce SGA Vice President.
Wilberforce leaders say that this expanded access to healthcare is part of a trend on college campuses to fill a need for behavioral health services and covid-19 resources. They are also seeking to provide for an underserved community.
“There are a lot of health disparities, especially in the minority communities,” said Barbara Johnson, Executive Vice President and COO of Premier Health. “So what this will do, is give the students an opportunity to have a relationship with a healthcare provider [and] build that trust.”
Johnson says building this trust with healthcare professionals could also lead to better health habits for the student’s to lead them in the future.
“[College] is what sets you up for later on in life,” said Murphy. “So if you can learn good habits as far as being healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally…then it only improves you for later on in life. And Wilberforce is definitely helping students do that.”
Johnson says there is also an opportunity for students who are studying to be healthcare professionals to learn from the nurses and clinic staff. She’s hoping this partnership can establish a pipeline of qualified and educated healthcare professionals from Wilberforce University who could serve at Premier Health in the future.
